Laboratory Administration Assistant Director

at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States

Job Description

• This position is an on-site position which requires the incumbent to complete their work primarily at an NAU site, campus, or facility with or without accommodation. Opportunities for remote work are rare.
• This position is subject to the availability of funding. The incumbent is not eligible for Service Professional non-renewal notice, or Classified Staff layoff or recall status.

• Schedules and coordinates lab equipment usage.
• Provides proper training of lab users (students, technicians, postdocs, and faculty) on proper laboratory procedures and safety protocols to ensure appropriate use of lab equipment.
• Supervises subordinate employees.
• Develops equipment usage rate charges, tracks usage and billing for use.
• Maintains and reports on lab budget.
• Works with IT personnel to ensure data system availability, reliability, and regulatory compliance.
• Ensures lab is prepared for annual safety inspections and ensures regulatory compliance and safety standards are met.
• Implement and oversee financial planning to support lab operations and research goal. This includes overseeing budgets, inventory, purchasing, and overall expenses.
• Recommends and initiates cost saving measures.

• Coordinates experiments for researchers, faculty, and other users of the laboratory and equipment.
• Runs equipment, collects and processes experimental data, performs analysis of data, and manages data used in grant applications, presentations, and publications.
• Schedules and performs maintenance of equipment and oversees associated service contracts.
• Maintains, calibrates, and troubleshoots lab equipment.
• Establishes and implements guidelines for the lab, including the development, implementation, and management of procedures and protocols.
• Implements changes to lab processes to improve validity and accuracy of data.
• Stays current with new developments/findings/research related to the lab environment including technology, processes, and equipment.

• Develops and maintains strategic research relationships with key industrial, academic, and governmental partners resulting in billable center activities to foster long-term value and identify growth opportunities. Travels as needed in support of this goal.
• Maintains facility website and informational literature for distribution to potential users.
• Develops, reviews, and updates services and associated costs and charge rates, etc.
• Presents to potential users groups on lab facility capacity.
• Applies for grants for funding.
• Identify and secure new collaborative opportunities with prospective clients, users, and stakeholders.

• Writes technical and analytical reports from experiments based on service requests.
• Develops annual lab operational reports.
• Manages, and as needed, develops laboratory safety training policies and training resources.
• Presents analysis and lab capabilities to diverse audiences such as faculty, industry, university leadership in support of business development and lab service requests/experiments.
• Contributes to and/or leads efforts to write clear, structured, articulate, and persuasive grant proposals.

• Serves as liaison and coordinates with other departments on campus (Facility Services, Environmental Health and Safety, Regulatory Compliance, NAU Police Dept, etc.) for reporting the need for building maintenance, safety issues, and repairs that affect normal facility operation.
• Manages user access to the laboratory facility.

• Other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor's degree in related field.
• 2 years of management experience.
• 3 years of relevant experience.

• An advanced degree in Physics, Engineering, Material Science, Chemistry or a related field with related lab experience of either:
  
  • Ph.D. degree with 3 years of relevant laboratory experience OR
  • Master's degree with 7 years of relevant laboratory experience
• Demonstrated experience with:
  
  • Metrology: Expertise in measurement science AND/OR
  • Microscopy & Spectroscopy: Proficiency in various microscopy techniques and/or spectroscopic methods.
• Demonstrated experience in Laboratory Management:
  
  • Proficiency or capacity to manage a university core facility including team leadership, personnel management, project/program
  • coordination, equipment maintenance/service coordination, budgeting, contract management, business development, etc.
• Semiconductor academic or industrial experience:
  
  • Work experience with semiconductors, specifically related to metrology or manufacturing.
• Demonstrated evidence of effective written and verbal communication skills.

• Operation and maintenance of equipment and sample preparation for lab equipment including but not limited to: Transmission Electron Microscopes, Scanning Electron Microscopes, Optical Holographic Profilers, Spatial Light Modulators, Cryo-Hall Stations, Digital Microscopes, Ellipsometers, Photoluminescence Spectrometers, Surface Profilers, Probe Stations, Ion Beam Mills, X-ray Diffractometers, Vector Network Analyzers, Spin Coaters, Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometers, and Laser PCB Mills.
• Methods, materials, and techniques used in laboratory and research work.
• University and departmental safety regulations.

• Prioritizing and completing multiple tasks of varying complexity and urgency in a timely and efficient manner.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and capacity to learn automation tools such as Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, etc.
• Scripting or programming for data analysis.

• Establishing and maintaining effective working relationships.
• Communicating effectively.
• Possessing strong problem-solving, organizational, and analytical capabilities.
• Experimental design.
• Technical and academic writing.